A Brand for All Seasons: Creating A Consistent Message

Winter is coming. And so are so many ways to advertise your business — but how do you stay within brand as well as push the envelope? This is the question many business owners ask themselves as they are inundated with media budgets, creative campaigns, and growing competition.

I wish I could say the answer is clear but it is actually a combination of brand standards and gut intuition – never one or the other. Your brand has a personality so think of it as a small intimate group of people, each person different yet they share common values. These values can range from traditionalist to risk-taker, from team player to individualist. When they are put together, this group of people makes decisions, buys products and influences others. It is essential to keep this group together because as individuals because they are stronger together.

Invest in the foundation of your brand. Have you collectively put on paper your core values, mission and vision for the company? If not, this is the first step. What do you stand for? What will you be for your community? Where do you see the brand in the near future? Once you have an established brand foundation, build on it.

As you start to develop a look and feel for your brand, create a brand manual that can be referred to, adapted, updated and used as an essential part of brand growth. The guidelines should be just that – enough structure to keep the brand in order and just enough flexibility to allow the team to create a relevant voice for your community for that instance.

There is no perfect formula for moving the brand forward. Its all about what the community needs so listen to your customers, get feedback and adjust accordingly (quickly) otherwise you can expect to be out-played and out-of-date.

Brand Poets is a collective of strategists, storytellers, and digital artisans, crafting smart, poignant campaigns that command attention. We believe that memorable brands are built with vision, strategic insight, consistency, and a sense of “wow.”